Modern computing systems use software that commonly requires updating for increased functionality. Software updates are downloaded and then installed on the computer's hard drive. Complete installation often requires that the computer be rebooted. Some updates may require multiple reboots, and multiple updates often require multiple reboots. The normal rebooting process typically loads into memory start up applications and usually requires that the user login with a password. When multiple reboots are required to fully install software updates, the installation process is time consuming and requires repeated attention by the user.
When multiple, time consuming reboots are required to fully install a software update, the computer user may delay rebooting the computer until a more convenient time for the user. However, when multiple reboots are required for full installation, the computer software will remain non-updated and insecure until the multiple reboots occur. Further, a partial installation without a reboot may create conflicts and instability in the computer software.
Some computer software, such as Microsoft Windows®, offer the user an option to reboot the computer in a minimal mode. A minimal reboot is a faster way to reboot the computer because the user can disable various aspects of the software such as start-up applications. However, a minimal reboot as currently known in the prior art still suffers from a number of limitations. First, a minimal reboot does not offer the option to disable the login authentication requirement. Second, when installation of a software update requires multiple reboots, the user typically must manually reboot the computer each time, enter a user password, and then wait for each minimal bootup to complete before starting another bootup. This prior art process is not an efficient way to perform multiple reboots because the user must manually start each bootup, select available options for a minimal bootup, monitor the bootup process to enter a password, determine when each minimal reboot is complete, and then manually start the bootup process again. Finally, when multiple minimal reboots are completed, the user must reboot the computer a final time in normal mode to bring the system back to the expected normal boot up state with all start up applications and systems running.
A need exists for a computer program that performs multiple reboots, that disables login authentication and startup program and services initialization during the reboots, that leaves detection/configuration startups active if the next update step requires network access for downloads, that installs software, and that re-enables the disabled features following the last configuration step after the last reboot to bring the system back to the normal bootup state. A need also exists for an efficient application programming interface that provides selectable options for performing multiple reboots, for disabling login authentication and startup program initialization, for leaving detection/configuration startups active if the next update step requires network access for downloads, and for enabling the disabled features following the last configuration step after the last reboot to bring the system back to the normal bootup state.